Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a delay by the Council in issuing a council tax bill. This is because there is insufficient evidence of injustice.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Mr X, says the Council delayed setting up his council tax account and sending a council tax bill. Mr X has now received a large bill which he says he cannot pay. Mr X says he should only pay council tax from the date the Council issued the bill.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start an investigation if we decide any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr X. This includes the complaint correspondence. I also considered our Assessment Code.

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My assessment

4. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which is not part of the Council, decides what band a property should be in for council tax.
5. Mr X tried to register for council tax in February 2024. He told the Council he had moved into a new build property. The Council told him it was waiting for the VOA to band the property. It said he would need to wait for the banding decision. The Council said he would be liable for the council tax from the date he moved in. The Council advised Mr X to put money aside to cover the council tax from February.
6. Mr X contacted the Council again in October and December to ask for an update. In December the Council set-up a provisional council tax account; it had still not received a banding decision from the VOA. The provisional bill was £1759 for council tax from February 2024 until March 2025.
7. Mr X complained about the delay and said he should only have to pay from January 2025. In response, the Council confirmed he must pay from February 2024 and said he had been advised to put money aside. It apologised and said it could have issued a provisional bill sooner and said it would arrange staff training. The Council invited Mr X to set up an extended payment plan so he would not have to pay the outstanding bill by the end of March 2025.
8. The Council accepts it could have managed Mr X’s account better and issued a provisional bill earlier in 2024. However, I will not start an investigation because there is insufficient evidence of injustice. I appreciate Mr X received a large bill in December but the Council had told him he would need to pay from February and suggested he put money aside. I do not know if Mr X did this but the advice provided Mr X with the opportunity to ensure he had funds set aside for at least part of the bill he was waiting for. In addition, Mr X was not paying council tax, as would normally be the case, while he was waiting for the bill. The Council also invited Mr X to set up an extended payment plan so he could pay smaller amounts over a longer period. The Council has already done what we would ask it to do, if we had investigated the complaint and found fault.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate this complaint because there is insufficient evidence of injustice.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman